Combination hanger, stretcher, and creaser for a waistband of a pair of pants



July 5, 1960 E. M. BAHNIK COMBINATION HANGER. STRETCHER. AND CREASER FOR A WAISTBAND OF A PAIR OF PANTS Filed April 3, 1959 INVENTDR.

EMIL M. BAHNIK of pantsso that said waistband portion can be elfectively stretched, .whent-wet; and providedzwith creases or. pleats Unite COMBINATION HANGER, TLSTRETCXIER, CREASER FOR A 'WA ISTBAND .OF'A' PAIR OF PANT atcfl I hatenteeJuly 5, 1960 ice - or creasesconventionally carried by corresponding legs or the pairof pants.

It is a further object to provideadevice of 'the char- *bers witlrrespect to 'the first- V shaped member and also Emil M. Bahnik, 1749 72. W; Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Calif.

Filed'Apr. 3,1959, Ser." No. 803,973

4 Claims. "(C12 223-163) The present" invention consists of-a -hanger, stretcher, and creaser for a waistband ofra pair of pants,'adapted for use in tightly engaging the. inner surface of the waistband of the pair of pants'while gripping the exterior surface thereof with suitable pants waistband-engageable clamp means whereby to firmly support the pants waistband while stretching same, after they have been washed. Furthermore, the device is provided with upwardly directed supporting hook means so that thewaistband-engaged-and-stretched pair of pants may be hooked on any suitable auxiliary supporting object, such as a clothesline or the like, while the pants are drying. Furthermore, the

device consists of three telescopically engaged V-shaped members so arranged that an apex part of a first one of the V-shaped members engages the inner rear portion of the waistband of the pair of pants 'while the apex part of each of the other two V-shaped members similarly engage the inside front portions of the waistband of the pair of pants in two regions aligned with and inside of the normal front pleats of such a pair of pants, whereby the telescopically engaged V-shaped members may be adjusted into a position such as to cause the waistband portion of a wet pair of pants to dry with the front pleats and the rear portion of the pants in appropriate alignment with corresponding front and rear creases of the leg portions of the pants, which may be similarly provided by the use of the customary prior art pants stretchers and creasers of substantially rectangular form which are adapted to be inserted downwardly into'each pant leg. However, it should be noted that, whilewell adapted for use with a pair of conventional prior art pants stretchers and creasers of the type mentioned above, the present invention is not so limited.

It is an object of the present invention to'provide a novel hanger, stretcher, and creaser for the Waistband of a pair of pants usually adapted for use after the pair of pants has been washed, and not only adapted to eifectively crease the upper portion of the pair of pants in the waistband region thereof in alignment with normally creased or pleated portions of the pants, but also adapted to effectively support and mount the pair of pants on any suitable 5 auxiliary support such as a clothesline or the like for convenient drying.

It is a further object to provide a device of the character set forth in the precedin object, which includes a first V-shaped member having a rearwardly directed apex portion, a second V-shaped member having a forwardly directed apex portion, and a third V-shaped member having a forwardly directed apex portion, with each ofsaid second and third V-shaped-members having the outer leg thereof telescopically engaged with the corresponding side leg of the first V-shaped member and being controllably adjustable and lockable in any selected longitudinally adjusted position with respect thereto whereby to efiectively abut the inside surface portions of the waistband of a pair -in thetproper locations, such as to correspond to the pleats controllably unlockable-toallow the telescopic'extension and" retraction thereof.

It 'is -a' further object to provide a device of the character' set' forth in the preceding object, including a plurality of controllably operable pants waistband-engageable'clarnp means engageable with the-v-shaped members at appropfiate locations to eifectively fasten the waistband 1 portion iof a pair of pants thereto.

It is a further object to provide a device of' the char- 1 acterset forth in any of the preceding objects,'which is-of extremely simple, cheapg foolproof construction such as to be conducive to widespreaduse of the device.

Further objects will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful study hereof.

For the purpose of clarifying thenature of the present invention, one exemplaryembodiment is illustrated in .the hereinbelow-desc'ribed"figures ofthe accompanying single sheet of drawings, andis describedin detail-hereinafter.

'Fig. 1 :is'a reduced-size perspective view .showingone 'exemplaryform of the invention :in engaged relationship "with respect to :the waistband" portion :of a pair, of pants,

WhichLis shown in fragmentary form.

Fig. .2:,is:a topt'plan' view,zidrawn toxa larger scale, of

1 the formof {the invention illustrated in Fig. l,- .with the ."pluralityjofpants waistband-engageable clamp means and "aiso thepair, ofpants removed for drawing simplification and clarification reasons.

'Fig. 3xis. an enlarged fragmentary view taken in the direction of the arrows3--3 of. Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 4-4 of Fig. 3.

:Fig: 5 is afragmentary view taken inthedirection of the arrows 5-5 of Fig. 2.

.Fig. 6 is an'enlargedflfragmentary perspective view of .one of the pants waistband-engageable clamp means shown in Fig. 1.

More specifically, referring to the figures, the device of :the present invention is illustrated in one exemplary embodiment wherein the above-mentioned first substantially -V.-shaped member-is indicated :generally at 10 and has vtwo longitudinal sidetportions 11 joined together .at a first apex 12 and having opposite laterally separated free 'ends 13. ,side portions 11 is of channel-like construction including --.a longitudinal interior channel 14, the purpose of which In the specific'form illustrated, each of the will be explained more fully hereinafter.

In. the specificiexample illustrated, the invention also includesa second substantially V-shapedmember, indicarted generally at 15, consisting of two longitudinal side portions 16 joined together at a second apex 17 and having opposite laterally separated free ends 18. in the specific example illustrated, each of the side portions 16 is of channel-like.construction includinga longitudinal interior channel :19.

In the specific example illustrated, the invention also includes a third substantially V-shaped'member, indicated generally at 20, consis'ting of two longitudinal side portions 21 joined togetherat a third apex 22 and having opposite laterally separated free ends 23. In the specific "example illustrated, .each ofthe side portions 21 is of channel-likeconstruction including a longitu- -'dinal interior channel similar to the interior channel 19 .;18: of the outer side; portion; 1610f. the second: \tnshaped member 15 is slidably telescopically received in the channel 14 in the free end 13 of the corresponding side portion 11 of the first V-shaped member 10 whereby the second V-shaped member 15 maybe slidably telescopically extended and retracted with respect to the first V-shaped member 10.

In the specific exemplary form illustrated, the free end tended and retracted with respect to the first V-shaped member 10.

In the specific example illustrated, the side portions 7 11 of the first V-shaped member 10 are provided adjacent the free ends 13 thereof with controllably operable rotary cam locking means, indicated generally at 24, each consisting of a non-round cam 25 having opposed enlarged portions 25A and being rotatably fastened by suitable shaft means 26 to the corresponding side portion 11 for rotation from the unlocked position shown in solid lines in Fig. 3 and in broken lines in Fig. into the locked position shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, whereby the enlarged portions 25A of the cam 25 will expand the free end 18 (and in the case of the other locking cam means 24, expand the free end 23) of the corresponding side portions 16 and 21 whereby to effectively lock the second V-shaped member 15 (and/or the third V-shaped member 20) in any selected position with respect to the first V-shaped member 10. Each of the locking means 24 is provided with a handle 27 to facilitate the locking and unlocking operation just described. It should be noted that the slotted interior sides of each of the side portions 11 and the corresponding slots in the corresponding side portions 16 and 21, such as indicated at 28 in Fig. 3, allow egress of the shaft 26 and the handle 27 from the telescopically engaged side portions in a manner such that it may be easily operated and yet will not otherwise interfere with the telescopic engagement of the side portions.

The preferred form of the invention also includes upwardly directed pivotally mounted supporting hook means, such as is generally indicated at 29, each of which has a split yoke bottom portion 30 positioned on each side of the corresponding side portion 11 and being interconnected by a pin 31 extending through the slotted inner side of the corresponding side portion 11 and the slot carried by the corresponding side portion 16 or 21, as indicated at 28 in Fig. 3, whereby the hook means 29 will not in any way interfere with the telescopic engagement of the side portions.

The preferred form of the present invention also includes a plurality of controllably operable pants waistband-engageable resilient clamp means, such as are generally indicated at 32, each of which includes manually graspable opposed portions 33 and opposed jaw portions 34 adapted, under the action of resilient biasing spring means, such as is shown at 35, to grasp any of the various side portions and the corresponding parts of the waistband, as indicated at 36, of a pair of pants, indicated generally at 37, whereby the corresponding inner surface of the waistband 36 will be tightly engaged and stretched by the fiat smooth exterior surface portions of the assembled first, second, and third V-shaped members 10, 15, and 20, respectively, in the general manner shown in Fig. 1, whereby pleats and/or creases will be eifectively formed in the stretched wet waistband portion 36 of the pair of pants 37 in general alignment with the normally creased and/or pleated portions of the pants legs, as is clearly evident in Fig. 1.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the i 23 of the outer side portion 21 of the third V-shaped member 20 is slidably telescopically received in the chanprecise and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept of the present invention.

I claim:

l. A combination stretcher, and creaser for a waistband of a pair of pants, comprising: a first substantially V-shaped member consisting of two longitudinal side portions joined together at a first apex and having opposite laterally separated free ends with each of said side portions including a longitudinal interior channel; a second substantially V-shaped member consisting of two longitudinal side portions joined together at a second apex and having opposite laterally separated free ends; a third substantially V-shaped member consisting of two longitudinal side portions joined together at a third apex and having opposite laterally separated free ends, an outer one of said free ends of said second /-shaped member being telescopically slidably engaged Within the longitudinal channel in a corresponding one of the free ends of said first V-shaped member, with said first apex being oppositely directed from said second apex, an outer one of said free ends of said third V-shaped member being telescopically slidably engaged within the longitudinal channel in the other of the free ends of said first V-shaped member, with said first apex being oppositely directed from said third apex, said V-shaped elements being provided with a plurality of controllably operable pants waistband-engageable clamp means for fastening the waistband portion of a pair of pants around the exteriors of the telescopically engaged first, second, and third V- shaped members in a taut manner for effectively stretching and creasing said waistband portion while maintaining same in open position to facilitate airing and drying of the interior thereof; and controllably operable locking means carried by the telescopically engaged portions of the second and third V-shaped members with respect to the first V-shaped member and operable to allow telescopic extension and retraction and operable to prevent same.

2. Apparatus of the character defined in claim 1, including upwardly directed supporting hook means connected to the V-shaped portions adjacent the telescopically engaged parts thereof.

3. A combination stretcher, and creaser for a waistband of a pair of pants, comprising: a first substantially V-shaped member consisting of two longitudinal side portions joined together at a first apex and having opposite laterally separated free ends with each of said side portions including a longitudinal interior channel, said first V-shaped member having a continuous fiat outer surface adapted to abut the inside surface of a portion of a waistband of a pair of pants; a second substantially V-shaped member consisting of two longitudinal side portions joined together at a second apex and having opposite laterally separated free ends; a third substantially V-shaped member consisting of two longitudinal side portions joined together at a third apex and having opposite laterally separated free ends, each of said second and third V- shaped members having a substantially flat continuous outer surface adapted to forcibly engage a corresponding portion of the inside of the waistband of a pair of pants in the normally pleated or creased region thereof, an outer one of said free ends of said second V-shaped member being telescopically slidably engaged within the longitudinal channel in a corresponding one of the free ends of said first V-shaped member, with said first apex being oppositely directed from said second apex, an outer one of said free ends of said third V-shaped member being telescopically slidably engaged within the longitudinal channel in the other of the free ends of said first V-shaped member, with said first apex being oppositely directed from said third apex, said V-shaped elements being provided with a plurality of controllably operable pants waistband-engageable resilient clamp means for fastening the waistband portion of a pair of pants around the exteriors of the flat outer surfaces of the first, second, and third V-shaped members in a taut manner for effectively stretching and creasing said waistband portion while maintaining same in open position to facilitate airing and drying of the interior thereof; and controllably operable rotary cam locking means pivotally carried by the telescopically engaged portions of said first V-shaped member and operable to allow telescopic extension and retraction of the second and third V-shaped members with respect to 5 shaped member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Frank et a1. May 28, 1957 2.805,010 Brookhart Sept. 3, 1957 

